


Attack on Fanfic

by Alkalyne



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, an au where everyone is alive, and writes fanfic, i'm awful you all will hate me, in which i'm not even subtle with references, like seriously i'm pretending to be clever, like seriously take a shot if you want, look i'm capable of funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-10
Updated: 2014-01-10
Packaged: 2018-01-08 05:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1128821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alkalyne/pseuds/Alkalyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In some crazy Alternate Universe, the cast is alive and well and happy--and writing fanfic. On top of school and work, they've found a way to revive and keep up with their fandom, making friends and rivals across the Internet. But it would seem that these fans are closer than they could have ever thought to be...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Attack on Fanfic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Feelsripper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feelsripper/gifts).



> Gift to Feelsripper because she is an awesome beta-reader and as we always say: ya reap whatcha sow!

Marco tapped his foot to the beat of the music. He had two stacks set up--the stack to the right was his "to-do" pile and the one to the left was the "finished" pile. For the first time in a long time, Marco was going to leave with a light to-do pile.

"Psst, Marco," Jean tugged on one of his ear buds. It popped out, throwing the song off.

Marco sighed but smiled. "Yes, Jean?"

His friend set his hand down on the last textbook. "I got a favor to ask of you..."

"Oh, boy." Marco removed the other bud and took a deep breath. "All right." He twisted in his chair. "What is it?"

Jean pulled back his hand, revealing a USB stick. "Think you can edit that tonight?"

Marco stared at it. So much for the light to-do pile.

"I mean, it doesn't _all_ have to be done by tonight, but--"

Marco held up a hand. "No, I know what that means." He gave Jean an innocent smile. "It's fine, most of my homework is done and I don't mind pulling an all nighter."

"Ah, man, Marco, why you gotta say it like that?"

The young man chuckled. "I have to get some sort of payment out of reading all this, don't I?"

"Yah but why's it gotta be my tears?" Jean faked a pout.

Marco reached for the memory stick. "If you're available tonight after work, I can give you live commentary."

"You really do want that payment, don't you..." Jean muttered.

All Jean got in response was a pleasant smile.

"Oh, god, Marco anytime you give me that look..." he shook his head. "All right, all right. I'll message you when I get back from work." Jean clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Later."

Marco watched him leave the library before looking back at the USB drive. He flipped it over, realizing there was tape with something scribbled on it. Once reading it, Marco let out an audible groan. So Jean was back to _that_ fandom...

~+~

Annie had raised her hand the minimal amount for the week's participation grade.

Mikasa took note of this, of course. As she always did. Armin as well, but for different reasons.

She then glanced at Eren. He was drawing. Again.

The young woman was about to kick him, since not paying attention was costly for both his grades and wallet. But she stopped herself. She realized he was illustrating something, and judging by how Armin kept stealing glances at it, it was something for him.

She gave up. Scolding them could happen instead once they were in the cafeteria.

"...And, that, class is how the mitochondria work!" Chirped their professor, a woman named Hanji. She looked from student to student, eyes shining. "Any questions?" 

Mikasa stole another glance at Annie.

Her hand shot up.

"Ah!" Hanji hopped on the balls of her feet. "Yes, Mikasa?"

"So, the mitochondria...it's speculated they were foreign 'agents', correct?"

The professor readjusted her glasses. "Correct! After it's introduction into the cells, some even think it's why we and many other animals are such complex beings today--it is far more efficient with the use of ATP."

Mikasa nodded, jotting down notes. They weren't for school but for something else.

"Anyone else?" Hanji twisted around, taking a more energetic look at the class.

Nothing.

"Well then! Class is dismissed for the day. Remember, your assignments are due next Tuesday." Hanji immediately turned to her desk and started shuffling up her papers.

Mikasa snatched up her own papers and headed for the door. She would wait for Eren and Armin outside. But she needed to get by as fast as possible to confirm her suspicions.

Unfortunately Annie was too fast. The young woman had shut her notebook the moment Mikasa stood and was already heading for the exit. Just outside she could see Bertholdt's head peaking around the door frame.

She growled and marched to the door anyway, perhaps overhearing something important.

But nope. Annie was quiet as ever, Bertholdt equally so. All she heard was Reiner say something about meeting up for papers. Not admitting defeat but conceding to a temporary loss, Mikasa stood by the door, waiting for her two boys to show up.

"So what were you drawing instead of listening to the lecture?" Mikasa asked.

It was Armin's face who went red. So he really was the instigator.

She frowned. "Armin, how could--"

"He tried to stop me," Eren interrupted. "But you know how I get once I'm in the zone..."

Mikasa held the door open for the two before joining them down the hall. She sighed. "You know that these classes cost money."

Eren frowned. "I know." He said flatly.

Armin, sensing trouble, slid between the two. "And it wasn't for me, Mikasa."

She rose a brow.

Eren grinned. "It's for the LoneLion's fic."

Something in her eyes must have flashed because both boys began to back-peddle.

"H-hey now!" Armin held his hands up.

Eren clutched his notebook. "If I draw too many from yours people'll get suspicious!"

Mikasa's expression softened. "I just want to know who she is," she muttered. "Or if it's even a she...whoever they are, their story's gotten plenty of attention without trying."

"But you've gotten more hits," tried Armin.

Mikasa bowed her head. "I just want to meet this rival is all. If you two insist I'm the best, that's nice. ...But many seem to compare us. Her and Hanara are both considered some of the greatest."

"That's the problem with the Internet, though," frowned Eren. "For all you know the LoneLion's actually some creepy forty-year old dude."

Her eyes flashed again. "Then you shouldn't be pandering to him."

"I was kidding!"

Armin cleared his throat. "How about we get something to eat..." 

"Do you still want me to edit your story, Armin?" Mikasa asked, deciding to nicen up the conversation.

His face went red. "Well, if you want!"

"Did you guys still wanna run ideas by me?" Eren put a hand on Armin's shoulder, getting closer to avoid running into others.

"If you still don't mind." Mikasa tucked some hair behind her ear. "I just thought of a few in class."

"Oh, cool!" Eren grinned. He then looked at Armin. "What about you?"

"Still sticking to the outline but thought of a few things to add texture."

"Jeez, what chapter are you on?"

"I saw you post ten the other day," Mikasa added in. "You're normally two ahead."

Armin gave an embarrassed grin. "I kind of fell behind."

"What?" Eren's jaw dropped. "Armin!"

Mikasa's head snapped to look at him. "Did something happen? Are you all right?"

Armin's face reddened. "A-ah! No, I'm fine, really! Just...a little distracted is all."

"What's her name."

It was never a question when such words were uttered by Mikasa.

"Hey, let's change the subject!" Armin's eyes bounced between the two as they filed into the cafeteria.

Even Eren wasn't having any of it. "...Armin, if something's bothering you, you'll tell us, right?" For somebody with such anger issues, he did a brilliant job at looking so young and innocent. Eren's green eyes were wide, almost shining.

"You're not supposed to be able to do that!" Armin whined.

Eren couldn't keep the facade. He broke out into laughter and slapped Armin's back. "You're right, that's your job. Like that one time you did it to horse-face in high school..." His face straightened as quickly as it changed. "...But you'll tell us what's distracting you, right?"

"Yes."

"Good." Mikasa handed him and Eren each a tray. "So, Armin, what are some of these little details you thought of?"

~+~

Krista was alone today. It wasn't quite by choice--but she didn't want to bother anyone today. She had thought about sitting with Sasha and Connie, but they had been having it rough for the past week. The two deserved some quiet time together. She had entertained the thought of seeing how Reiner was doing, but she could see from where she sat--he was laughing with Bertholdt and Annie sulked in the shade. 

Jean and Marco were nowhere to be found.

And as usual, Mikasa, Eren and Armin were in their own world.

So today was a day she'd have normally spent it with Ymir. 

Except that woman was in the dorms, sick.

Krista scanned the area for somewhere to sit.

And her eyes fell on her favorite teacher.

Nanaba was sitting at one of the old, stone tables. She had her food in front of her and mobile in hand. 

"Excuse me, professor, could I join you?"

The woman looked up and grinned. "Oh, hello, Krista. Of course." She gestured to the empty space. Nanaba looked around. "Where's Ymir?"

"Sick." Krista sighed, taking her seat and pulling out her meal. "She's supposed to text me with what she wants." The girl pulled out her phone. "But nothing so far."

"Well in the mean time, you can keep me company." Nanaba tapped at her phone with her thumb. "By the way, I wanted to let you know that I absolutely adore the paper you turned in."

Krista blushed. Not just from the compliment, but from some of what she saw on her phone. "R-really?"

The woman nodded. "Your diction is distinct, amazing and always a pleasure to read." She grabbed her coffee tumbler and took a sip. Two tea bags swung from it as Nanaba set it back down. "I look forward to the papers I receive from you in the future."

Krista quickly tapped out of the post she was looking at and set her phone down. "O-oh. Thanks!"

Nanaba rose a brow. She smirked. "Don't worry, I won't be offended if you want to focus on what is clearly an emotionally-charged text." The professor then chuckled. "I'm not one for talkative company, anyway. Merely sitting here is good enough for me."

Krista nodded. It was true, if it hadn't been for the fact that Nanaba originally invited Krista to sit with her last month, the girl would have thought the teacher was merely trying to be polite. But now it seemed to be some sub-routine where she'd sit with the professor at least once a week.

Her attention drifted back to the mobile. It was something she tried to avoid, reading fic when in public.

But there wasn't much else to do while waiting for Ymir's text.

So Krista grabbed an apple from her bag, eating with one hand and tapping the screen with the other.

The story that had made her blush was back up. To her pleasant surprise, Teutoburg had updated despite his--or her--warning that things were getting busy.

And quite the start the chapter had.

Her eyes flicked across the tiny interface, taking in every word.

And without warning, the phone let out a loud chirp.

"Yipe!" Krista jumped.

Nanaba looked up, raising her brow again.

"Text from your charming princess?"

Krista, a rueful smile, answered: "So it would seem." She sighed. "And she wants, of course, something unhealthy."

"Well, you'll just have to do something about that, won't you?" Nanaba smiled. "It was nice sitting with you, Krista. I hope Ymir gets better. See you in class tomorrow."

Krista picked up the brown paper bag. "The same for you, professor." She grinned and spun, skittering off to see if she could snag something healthier than what Ymir requested.

~+~

Levi took another sip of tea. It was a Wednesday, the one day where all five of them could sit together at lunch.

The other four had also decided it was the day they would all turn in their work to him. 

Levi wasn't going to admit it, but he thought it was...adorable? at how the four looked at him expectantly, the papers stacked neatly in front of them.

"Sir," Petra began, hands on the table. "I ran out of red ink, so I hope you don't mind that I shifted to blue..."

Auruo let out a 'tch.' "I went out and _bought_ a new pen when mine died."

She shot him a glare. "Why not just bite your tongue again? Cheaper ink."

Before the idiot could open his mouth, Gunther cleared his throat. "I notice you haven't lost any students since last week." He set his knitting down. "Have they learned to adapt?"

Levi shrugged. "I think they've realized my classes beat academic probation." He looked from face to face of his team. Or his squad, as they affectionately called themselves. Hanji often joked if Levi was with this group for too long, he'd get diabetes from how sweet they were. 

And he'd never truly admit it, but he enjoyed their company. They were definitely his little team, a group of societal rejects be it for their personal oddities or what fate deemed fit to do to their bodies.

"Erd let me see your hand," Gunther said as Levi looked back at Petra and Auruo.

Levi watched with the corner of his eye as the man held up his hand. "Don't worry about it," he said to her. "Try to make sure you've got more on hand next time. You're fucking busy, I get it."

She tried to hide a blush.

He rose a brow. "...Though the next time Hanji insists you come over, you're safer staying home."

Auruo's eyes widened, scandalized. "Petra! You're not--you and Professor Zoe--"

The girl's eyes flashed. "And what's it to you if we were?"

"...That's not appropriate!" The man finally said. "You're a teacher's aide and working at the same school! If it was two teachers then sure maybe that's okay, but you're both in the same department and a student _and_ you're way too young for--AUGH!"

Petra had yanked on the ascot the man wore, bringing him down to her eye level.

"We're not up to anything the school would find unnerving."

He looked relieved.

"We're up to something society would find unnerving!" She chirped, letting go of his ascot.

Auruo stared in horror.

Erd chuckled, He grabbed his cane and put it under Auruo's chin, shutting his mouth. "You wanna catch flies?"

"You'd think he caught his death with that expression," Gunther said. He let go of Erd's hand, seeming to be satisfied. The man returned to his knitting and looked back at Levi. His aluminum needles flashed in the sunlight, clacking in a rhythm Levi found almost soothing. "When should we expect another batch of papers?"

Levi thought for a moment. "I imagine Friday. If you can come to my office whenever you damn well please, just pick'm up. Try to be there before six, though. I'd like to go home."

"I'll be there at two-thirty sharp," Petra said.

Auruo snorted, as he often did when rolling his eyes. "I'll be sure to be there earlier so I can leave you a pack of red pens because _some_ people know when to have enough."

Her eyes flashed again.

"Children," Levi growled.

They immediately quieted down.

He looked at them again. All four of them were at their own level of tired. Petra and Auruo especially--on top of working for him, they were taking classes at the school. But he wasn't going to lighten up. Not only had he given them the jobs to be his TA so they'd have extra cash, but to teach them about life. If they could survive all of this, then they'd be ready for the real world.

Erd and Gunther already had an idea of how that went, but the extra money was definitely a help for them. 

Levi looked at his watch. It was probably best to let them go for now. They had their lives and he had his ball-and-chain to his desk. "All right, I'm sick of seeing your faces. Go on. Get going." He started collecting the papers they brought him.

"It's my turn to push the wheelchair," Petra said, hopping to her feet.

"With your shitty balance?" Auruo muttered. "I'm surprised it hasn't been the death of you."

"What was that?" Petra looked up at him, hands on her hips. 

Gunther finished packing up his knitting. "Have a good day, Levi. We'll see you Friday if not before then."

Levi just grunted.

"Really," Erd started as Petra grabbed the wheelchair handles. "I can do it myself--"

"You have tendonitis!" The young woman snapped. "It's the least we could do, anyway. I'll leave you alone once we get you to your shop."

"Fine, fine," the man grumbled.

"See you later, professor!" Petra smiled.

"Bye, sir," Auruo waved, trying to sound professional.

Levi watched them go. He glanced down at the papers and sighed. Those four were quite the life-savers. As he stood, the man wondered what awaited him at home.

~+~

Hanji let out a sigh, sinking into the couch. Her whole body ached and was relieved to not be standing anymore. And to think it was only halfway through the week...

She let out another sigh. To the table. It was where everything was done, anyway. 

The woman picked up her bag, putting her glasses back on as she hobbled over. A plus to being one of the early-hour teachers was getting home first. The quiet was nice and it meant she could do the extracurricular activities first.

Hanji pulled out her laptop and opened it. While it loaded, her brain began to work out how the rest of the week would go. She, Levi and Erwin were likely to grade their papers together before dinner, as they often did. It was Mike's turn to cook since midterm season was about to begin. Hopefully Petra and Nanaba had time to swing by. If so, then maybe now was the better time to get to grading as to get an edge on it. Moblit was a wonderful assistant, but Hanji liked to do the bulk of the work herself.

She opened up the browser. Immediately the internet radio she had as a perma-tab began. The other perma-tab she had showed five alerts.

That feral grin appeared.

Teutoburg had updated. So had LoneLion and Home-Wrecker. And even better--AlphaSlayer had also posted. 

A mix of disappointment and excitement came from the fifth update. Nobody had been "Jaeger Bombed," which she always liked to see. But instead, a review sat there, waiting for her.

This of course pleased Hanji. It had been a while since she herself last updated, so it was delightful to see some traffic.

Oops, Hanji just remembered something. 

She reached for her phone and flipped it open. Since she was logged in, it was best to let the other two know the account was occupied. Once that was taken care of, Hanji zipped back, now presented with a slight conflict: Which update to read first?

The woman settled for Home-Wrecker's update. His stories were...a bit of a chore to read. The ideas were brilliant but the presentation needed work. Apparently the man's friend, who had a name Hanji felt no shame in giggling at, was the editor.

"Hat's off to you, CollosalDouche, for putting up with it." She muttered, eyes whizzing across the screen.

Hanji barely heard the door unlock.

Familiar, heavy footsteps made their way down the entrance hall.

"You're home early," Hanji commented without looking up. She opened a new tab, deciding on letting a review percolate. It felt like she and a few others were the only ones who actually left constructive criticism. 

Mike huffed. "We have to fumigate the building." He made a face. "They were only pulling up into the parking lot and already I felt ill." The man set his backpack down on the floor. He took his place behind her and promptly wilted, wrapping his arms around her. "I see you're working hard."

Hanji pushed her glasses back up. "It is a fine balancing act, telling somebody they really need to improve but not to discourage them."

"Are you talking about your grading or reviews?" Mike rested a bushy chin on her shoulder.

She pulled the screen forward, as if to prevent the man from seeing what she was working on. "Hey now, both are important. One is for intellectual purposes, the other to make sure I don't discourage the next great author. Playgrounds are important, you know."

"Uh-huh." Mike pushed the screen back. "I can't remember. Is it LoneLion or AlphaSlayer you like more?"

"Mm...both are pretty good. I'm more partial to Teutoburg, personally."

"Ah, right, forgot about them." Mike's other hand went to the touch-pad. He flipped between tabs. "Nothing from HistoricallyBlue?"

"Not yet. You know, you may regret going through my tabs one of these days," Hanji smirked. "A nasty surprise might be waiting for you."

She felt Mike grin. "Considering the crowd I enjoy? It's clear I like to live dangerously."

Hanji giggled. "If that's a challenge..."

Mike's arms were back around her shoulders. "On to more productive things: I got a text from Erwin saying he'd be home rather late. Nothing from Levi, but knowing him, he'll probably stay late just to sneak more private time with Erwin."

Hanji snorted. "Probably because he thinks you'll steal Erwin from him."

"Hey now. I've gotten better." Mike pulled Hanji closer. "But this does mean we have more time to each other..."

"Mmm, I don't think so," Hanji picked up her phone again. "Just got a message from Petra. Sounds like she and Nanaba have a breath of freedom tonight."

"Yes, but that's tonight..."

"Which means you should probably get started on dinner _now_ ," Hanji tilted her head back.

Mike stood up and looked down at her. He let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine...but this means I'm rambling on to you about how my day went."

Hanji tugged at his tie, pulling him down for a kiss. "By all means. If you get everything prepared before the two lovebirds get home, maybe we can get back at them for not shutting the door completely last time."

~+~

Annie couldn't really complain about her job. It was a modest sized company and she was a professional seat-warmer. There were many perks to this. She was getting paid a good amount for almost no effort, which meant she could get time away from people.

But most importantly, it gave her time to write.

It was nice, too, that her supervisor didn't seem to care too much. So long as she kept everything tidy, answered the phones and sent out the requested e-mails, the man wasn't going to nag her.

Really, the only thing that irritated her about the work-place were two of her coworkers.

One was the do-gooder who seemed to hate she was doing anything but work.

The other was an obnoxious woman who was always trying to peek over her shoulder.

It was a slow day today, Annie noticed. Her eyes flickered to the clock--the day was almost done too. Hm. She was on a short shift for the day. Perhaps she'd swing by the store on her way home and pick up something nice for her boys back home. They were working pretty hard this semester, trying to scrape by. Annie wished they wouldn't push themselves so hard. ...Well at least their reasoning for it irked her. They were trying to bring in as much cash so she wouldn't feel pressured to take on even more hours.

God, why did boys have to be so stupid sometimes?

Dawk, her supervisor was making his usual rounds.

"Leonhardt?" He rose a brow.

"Sir?"

"Things are pretty slow today. Why not you head home early tonight?" He glanced at the calendar. "Besides, isn't it midterm season?"

"It's about to be." She replied.

"Well, why not jump ahead and study in an environment where you can listen to...whatever music you kids listen to these days?"

"Yes, sir." Annie replied, not cracking a smile.

Dawk remained there for a moment before moving on to dismiss her coworkers.

She closed her notebook. It really had been a slow day. Even though she wrote in shorthand, Annie was able to complete three pages of writing. Her time probably should have been spent on homework, but she did work better with music. 

Well with this extra time, Annie really was going to go to the store. Reiner got whiny if they weren't all at the table together, but maybe he'd be placated if she brought home something

Annie slid her messenger bag on and left before Hitch could pester her.

There were many nice things about the town they were condemned to for four years. One of those things was how close things were. So a walk to the store wasn't going to be too inconvenient. 

It was a pleasant evening. The air was cool and the sun was just starting to set. Things weren't like they were back home, but it wasn't so bad with Reiner and Bertholdt at her side.

...Not that she would ever, _ever_ let them know that.

To her surprise, the dinner rush hadn't started. Yet. All the more reason to move fast.

She went straight for the tea and coffee. It was a rare instance where the store-brand cocoa mix was actually the best out of all the selections. Which was quite the plus since it was much cheaper. Had Annie actually cared, maybe she'd actually take a look at the ingredients to see what the hell was in it. But that wasn't a priority for her--what was a priority was something that'd make Reiner and Bertholdt chill out.

Annie found it and snatched it up. Half a beat later she went to the baking isle. Marshmallows. Fancy chocolate to sprinkle on it. Oh, hell, why not go all the way and get whip cream too...

Fuck.

She looked around. 

Nobody from school in sight.

Her shoulders relaxed. The girl made a beeline for the checkout stand. Still no dinner rush.

It could have been cheaper had Annie remembered the coupons, but that was Reiner's thing. Coupons, dishes, cleaning...good god the man was like a mother. Christ, he even had the chest for it.

Annie shook her head and paid for everything and a bag.

She pulled her hood up and dashed out, making sure to not run into some guy in a wheelchair and one of his friends.

The young woman barely made it four steps out when somebody called out.

"Annie."

It was Mikasa.

Annie pulled back her hood enough to allow for peripheral vision. 

"Can I help you?" She more said than asked to Mikasa. Annie automatically pulled her groceries closer. She saw those gray eyes flick down for a look.

"Our bio class. I had a couple questions. We can talk about it on the way back to school."

Annie was disappointed. Mikasa was intelligent and skilled, but horrible at lying. Well maybe she did have questions, but that was clearly not the reason. It was hard to tell if Mikasa had planned on running into her or not. Annie had gone to the store on the whim. Judging by what was in Mikasa's bag, she hadn't. The newer dorms had kitchenettes, so it made sense she'd grab a bunch of rawer ingredients. Besides, that'd be a lot of work to just follow Annie to the store.

Really, it was just weird seeing Mikasa out of class and not seeming like some kind of robot.

"Besides, it's safer to walk in groups."

Annie rose a brow. "You can't honestly be worried for my safety or your own."

"You never know."

"Well, what're your questions?"

"You seem to know more about the mitochondria than what's in the textbook. What other books do you read?"

She was blunt. Annie could appreciate that. 

"I can't remember off the top of my head," came the lie after a moment.

"Would you be willing to put together a list?"

"We'll see. Midterms are about to start and we're both full time students."

"Mm, true." Mikasa nodded, not buying any of it.

Once again Annie was met with a dilemma. She hated stupid people. ...But it was annoying when smart people picked up on her lies.

"Armin wants to know too."

Never before had Annie been so grateful for a sunset. 

"Like I said, we'll see," Annie said, trying to keep her words measured.

They arrived at the steps of their university.

"Well," Annie pivoted to head for the little houses. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." Mikasa gave a curt bow and walked down the path.

Annie watched her enter the dorms before turning. The box tin of chocolate mix clanked against the tube of whip-cream. It was the only sound she made--her steps were quiet, even on the old sidewalk.

The lights were on and she could hear the clatter of pots and pans.

She pushed the door open, it creaking and making her cringe. Bertholdt was on their beaten couch, ancient laptop propped up on his lap. Reiner was shuffling about the kitchen, stirring this, chopping that...

"You'll fry your balls." Annie said, shutting the door with her foot.

"Just a back up plan in case Reiner can get pregnant."

"What?" Reiner asked over the sizzling of whatever was on the stove. It smelled good, whatever it was.

"Just lamenting about you not being a mother," Annie said, making her way to their narrow pantry.

Reiner rose a thin brow. He opened his mouth to press further but the pot of whatever started to boil over. "Shit!"

Annie rolled her eyes and decided to flop down next to Bertl. Dinner was soon, so homework wasn't worth it and she wanted to see what the loser was up to. 

Bertl didn't even bounce, his size too much for her tiny body to bother. Even he himself didn't seem to register she was there.

"Hey, Bertholdt." Annie nudged him. He was staring at his screen. "Earth to Berth--"

"Annie, look!" He snapped out of whatever trance had been in. The man turned his laptop so she could see the screen. "Coordinate updated with a preview--it looks like one of your OCs!"

~+~

Mikasa closed the door behind her. As usual, she was hanging out in Armin and Eren's dorm. "I'm setting the food down on the counter for whenever you're ready, Armin."

Armin looked up from his laptop, smiling. "Thank you, Mikasa."

"No problem." She pulled off her sweatshirt but kept the scarf. "By the way, I ran into Annie on the way home."

"Really?" Eren looked up.

"Yes. I asked about the mitochondria sources." Mikasa plunked herself down in front of Armin and Eren, laptop in hand. 

"And?" Armin's eyes shined.

"...Nothing."

Armin pouted.

"It was strange." Mikasa muttered.

"What, did she ask you out or something?" Eren was back to focusing on his tablet. An empty shot glass was at his knee.

She frowned.

"It was a half shot, all right? Besides, at this point I really only take a sip...gotta keep up my reputation, y'know..." But the way he shifted said it all--the boy was caught and felt guilty.

Armin scampered to the pathetic space known as their kitchenette. He knew when things were about to heat up.

"You haven't eaten." Mikasa began. "And it's expensive, as is school and--"

"Topic change! Armin!" Eren yelled.

There was a clatter as Armin dropped a pan. "Wh-what is it?!"

Mikasa folded her arms and glared at Eren, who's cheeks were red. Oh, he better have something good to say.

"...And, uh, well, Mikasa you too."

She sighed and let her arms drop. "What is it?" She growled, stomping over.

Eren quickly tabbed out of the picture he was finishing. With a quick scan, Mikasa could see he already posted a WIP from what he had been working on in class. He also had a good number of fics open; enough to tell Mikasa she was going to have to do more than glare to get him to do his homework.

"Look," the boy pulled up a tab that was the latest update from Armin. "Hanara updated."

"What?" Armin shoved his head onto Eren's shoulder.

"Did she?" Mikasa almost shoved Eren into his screen.

Eren nodded. "And..." he went to another tab. "Mikasa, you have another follower."

"A new guy," Armin muttered.

"It's nice to have new people join," Eren said. "I wonder if they're any good though..."

"Their name is Favorite-7." Mikasa did not sound hopeful. 

"Well," Eren tapped on the trackpad. "Profile says they're just getting back into this fandom. They plan on posting more once they know what's up with mid-terms."

"The grammar's not bad." Armin said after a moment. "Though this is just the profile..."

"And you're listed as an inspiration, Mikasa." Eren pointed at the last line.

She rose a brow. "Not Hanara or LoneLion?"

Both boys shook their head.

"Hn."

"Well, I look forward to whatever he or she has to say." Armin got to his feet. "And the updates, but I guess they'll have to wait." 

Mikasa resumed her spot on the floor across from Eren. "That they will. I think we should do our homework in the mean time?"

Eren grumbled. "Can it wait until after dinner? I wanna finish this..."

"...Fine." Huffed Mikasa. She readjusted her laptop screen. "I guess I'll read the latest updates."

"Thanks for being our Scout, Mikasa!" Armin called out.

"Yah!" Eren held his thumb up. "You're the best!" Of course he'd say that _after_ she cut him some slack.

Mikasa sighed. "You're welcome..."


End file.
